Kevin Spacey 2017 Tony Awards Host — Page 4

kdogg36 said:
Well, for the most part we know the sexuality of straight celebrities by default, because they associate romantically with the opposite sex and have no need to hide it. Something similar should be the case with non-straight celebrities, too. The fact that there's an asymmetry here is primarily the fault of homophobia in our society, but people who could safely come out and choose not to are also a part of the problem."

Do you understand that everyone in the entire world has a complex list of reasons in their consciousness that causes them to make the decisions that they do? Do you understand that people make decisions based on things that you could never understand because you will never be privy to the information? Or do you see things with the same type of black and white mentality that caused the LGBTQ community to be so hated by those who did not understand them for so long? This way of thinking is no less damaging than what the religious right does. The world is not black and white, you don't get to make other people's decisions for them based on YOUR LIFE.

Updated On: 4/18/17 at 07:29 PM

Damn. And all we wanted was to know our host :'

Of course! Have a great evening!

Valentina3 said: "Orangeskittles, have you considered the possibility that he could be bisexual? And American Beauty was 1998. Surely you don't begrudge a Hollywood actor staying in closet in 1998?

He has publicly stated that he does not want his private life to ever be a matter of celebrity gossip and he refuses to engage in that conversation.

Not to change the subject but American Beauty was released in September of 1999.

"

He would be great in My Fair Lady. But I was thinking Geoffrey Rush would be good also.

He started as a stand up comic. Also, he can sing a bit

So many of you have your heteronormative heads deep up your homophobic asses.

Saying, "no one has a right to know about a celebrity's sexual orientation" is moronic because - how many straight celebrities keep their heterosexuality a secret? How many go to events with a beard of the same sex in order to hide their shameful straightness?

Hetero is still the norm; and when you say that a person is "entitled" to keep their homosexuality a secret, you're really saying that it's perfectly all right to consider homosexuality a shameful thing that's OK to hide. Is that really the statement you want to make, consciously or not, to your gay and lesbian children or friends?

I would say that I'm surprised at the vast lack of awareness and intelligence in this thread, but after the last election, stupidity seems to be the norm in America.

Hold the phone. Who’s “demanding” or saying they have a “right” to know anyone’s sexual orientation? People are expressing their opinions about the decision to remain closeted. Let’s not draw false equivalencies.

Claiming that closeted gay men have a duty to reveal their sexuality for the greater good of society means that you think you have a right to that information.

And, newintown, I agree with you that straight celebrities do not have to keep their sexualities hidden. No one asks straight people to keep quiet about who they are. But you're implying that queer people stay in the closet because they are ashamed of their sexuality. While that is certainly the case for some people, who have been conditioned so deeply by society to hate who they are so that they cannot live their true lives, for the most part queer people remain in the closet because, as it stands right now, it is not safe to be queer in America. Marriage equality did not suddenly fix the rampant homophobia woven into American society. Still, every single day, queer people are harassed, abused, and murdered because of their sexuality. And while it is unlikely that Kevin Spacey, assuming he is queer in some way, would face this level of antagonism as a celebrity of his stature, his career most certainly could be affected. I also wouldn't blame him for simply wanting to avoid the vitriolic hate that would surely come his way by the thousands.

The responsibility is on the general public, especially straight people, to dismantle heteronormativity, until we stop considering that straight is the standard and everyone else is deviating from the norm. If he is queer, it is certainly not on Kevin Spacey's shoulders. I applaud any celebrity who comes out for their bravery in the face of the focused homophobic attacks they are sure to receive, and for helping the fight to de-stigmatize queer people's existence, but I do not feel that anyone in the closet has a duty to do so. And, closeted actors coming out is not the only way to generate queer visibility in the public eye; supporting out and proud performers so that they become celebrities works, too. Supporting queer directors and screenwriters so that they can tell their stories, or are more open to hiring queer actors, does as well.

newintown said: "That's textbook relativism, elephant, and personally, I find it repellent."

I cannot identify a single thing I've said as relativism.

What, exactly, do you disagree with me about? That homophobic/transphobic violence happens every day? That, for many Americans, it is not safe to come out? That coming out of the closet is not the only way to increase queer visibility in the media? You're really good at dismissing me without actually engaging with any of my actual points.

Also, I'd like to reiterate, that I think the more important conversation here is not whether or not Kevin Spacey is queer, but whether or not it is acceptable to allow a known(ish) sexual predator to host an awards show of this caliber.

It's relativism to say that living in hiding, showing young people like yourself that hiding who you are is perfectly acceptable, is "right" if you feel that you'll profit best by it, that your career will be better for it.

Of course we live in an age of relativism, where "right" is defined by many people as "whatever will profit me best."

Updated On: 4/19/17 at 10:21 AM

You are amazing, my darling. There's just no other word.